Systems and methods to control discharge speed of an ocean bottom seismic data acquisition unit via a moving underwater vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11048007-B2
Application number	US-201816153190-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 5, 2018
Priority date	Oct 5, 2018
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

Systems and methods for delivering seismic data acquisition units to an ocean bottom are provided. A system includes an underwater vehicle including with sensors to determine environmental information. A control unit obtains, based on the environmental information and a policy, an indication to perform a fly-by deployment. The control unit sets an angle of a ramp with respect to a base of the underwater vehicle. The control unit identifies a launch event for a seismic data acquisition unit of a plurality of seismic data acquisition units stored in the underwater vehicle, and deploys the seismic data acquisition unit from the ramp towards the ocean bottom based on the identification of the launch event and the environmental information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of delivering a plurality of seismic data acquisition units to an ocean bottom, comprising:
receiving, by an underwater vehicle located in an aqueous medium, environmental information;
obtaining, by the underwater vehicle based on the environmental information and a policy, an indication to perform a fly-by deployment;
setting, responsive to the determination to perform the fly-by deployment and based on the environmental information, an angle of a ramp with respect to a base of the underwater vehicle, the ramp having a first end and a second end, the first end positioned closer to the base of the underwater vehicle than the second end;
identifying, by the underwater vehicle, a launch event for a seismic data acquisition unit of the plurality of seismic data acquisition units stored in the underwater vehicle; and
deploying, by the underwater vehicle, the seismic data acquisition unit from the second end of the ramp towards the ocean bottom based on the identification of the launch event and the environmental information.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the underwater vehicle comprises a remote operated vehicle tethered to a vessel.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the underwater vehicle comprises an autonomous underwater vehicle absent a tether to a vessel.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
determining, by a control unit external and remote from the underwater vehicle, to perform the fly-by deployment; and
transmitting, by the control unit, the indication to the underwater vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
moving, by the underwater vehicle in the aqueous medium, with a non-zero velocity having a horizontal component with a first magnitude in a first direction; and
setting the angle of the ramp with respect to a base of the underwater vehicle to result in deployment of the seismic data acquisition unit from the second end of the ramp with a velocity having a horizontal component with zero magnitude in a second direction, the second direction being opposite the first direction.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising;
deploying, by the underwater vehicle, the seismic data acquisition unit via the ramp while moving with a first velocity having a horizontal component with a first magnitude and a first direction, the first velocity corresponding to a travel velocity between subsequent seismic data acquisition unit drop locations.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
deploying, by the underwater vehicle, the seismic data acquisition unit via the ramp while hovering over the ocean bottom.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the environmental information comprises at least one of a velocity of the underwater vehicle, an elevation of the underwater vehicle, a turbidity of the aqueous medium, a current of the aqueous medium, a temperature of the aqueous medium, a topography of the ocean bottom, a composition of the ocean bottom, or a presence of marine life or growths.

9. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
receiving the environmental information via one or more sensors comprising at least one of a visual sensor, an audio sensor, an accelerometer, sonar, radar, or lidar.

10. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
determining to perform the fly-by deployment responsive to detecting an absence of marine life at the ocean bottom.

11. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
determining, for the seismic data acquisition unit, to perform the fly-by deployment responsive to detecting a current of the aqueous medium below a current threshold;
blocking, for a second seismic data acquisition unit, the fly-by deployment responsive to detecting a level of visibility below a visibility threshold; and
landing, by the underwater vehicle responsive to the blocking of the fly-by deployment, on the ocean bottom to deploy the second seismic data acquisition unit.

12. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
blocking, for a second seismic data acquisition unit, the fly-by deployment responsive to detection of an obstruction; and
performing, by the underwater vehicle, an emergency stopping process using multiple reverse facing thrusters.

13. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
setting a yaw angle of the ramp based on a forward velocity of the underwater vehicle, a current of the aqueous medium, and a friction coefficient of the ramp.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ramp corresponds to at least a portion of a helix structure, and the angle corresponds to an orientation angle of the helix structure.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ramp comprises a powered ramp.

16. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
identifying the launch event based on a location or a timing function, wherein the location corresponds to one of a target location for the seismic data acquisition unit on the ocean bottom or a location of the underwater vehicle when the seismic data acquisition unit is deployed.

17. A system to deliver a plurality of seismic data acquisition units to an ocean bottom, comprising:
an underwater vehicle located in an aqueous medium, the underwater vehicle comprising one or more sensors to determine environmental information;
the underwater vehicle comprising a control unit executed by one or more processors to:
obtain, based on the environmental information and a policy, an indication to perform a fly-by deployment;
set, responsive to the determination to perform the fly-by deployment and based on the environmental information, an angle of a ramp with respect to a base of the underwater vehicle, the ramp having a first end and a second end, the first end positioned closer to the base of the underwater vehicle than the second end;
identify a launch event for a seismic data acquisition unit of a plurality of seismic data acquisition units stored in the underwater vehicle; and
deploy the seismic data acquisition unit from the second end of the ramp towards the ocean bottom based on the identification of the launch event and the environmental information.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the underwater vehicle comprises a remote operated vehicle tethered to a vessel or an autonomous underwater vehicle absent a tether to a vessel.

19. The system of claim 17 , comprising:
an external control unit remote from the underwater vehicle to determine to perform the fly-by deployment, and transmit the indication to the deployment control unit of the underwater vehicle.

20. The system of claim 17 , comprising the control unit executed by one or more processors to:
move the underwater vehicle with a non-zero velocity having a horizontal component with a first magnitude in a first direction;
set the angle of the ramp with respect to the base of the underwater vehicle to result in deployment of the seismic data acquisition unit from the second end of the ramp with a velocity having a horizontal component with zero magnitude in a second direction, the second direction being opposite the first direction.

Assignees

• Fairfield Ind Inc
• Magseis Ff Llc

Inventors

• Fyffe Roger L
• Marc Etienne
• Mann Chance

Classifications

• B63G2008/004

  autonomously operating · CPC title

• B63G8/001

  Underwater vessels adapted for special purposes, e.g. unmanned underwater vessels; Equipment specially adapted therefor, e.g. docking stations (self-propelled or direction controlled diving chambers with mechanical link to a base B63C11/42) · CPC title

• G01V1/3852 Primary

  to the seabed · CPC title

• B63G2008/007

  by means of a physical link to a base, e.g. wire, cable or umbilical · CPC title